A Brief Introduction to Crohn ja Colitis ry

Crohn ja Colitis ry is an IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease) association that aims to provide many different types of peer support for people with IBD and to raise IBD awareness among those affected, as well as health professionals, decision makers and the general public. The association has been growing fast and had almost 8 000 members at the beginning of 2018.

Our support services (local and peer-to-peer support, support for families and young people) are based on voluntary work. You can learn more about our peer support for young adults (18yo – 30yo) from our Youthgroups video, here >>. Events are held around the country – up-to-date information is available via our newsletter and website. The website also has a lively discussion forum, expanded by a number of closed Facebook groups.

At our spring and autumn meetings, you can hear the latest in IBD from expert speakers. We also participate actively in information events for those newly diagnosed with IBD and other associated activities. With our partners, we organise seminars and discussion sessions.

We provide adaptation training courses for adults and families with children, which are an excellent source of information and peer support. People with IBD can also turn to us for supported holidays from a number of holiday organisations.

The channels we use to deliver information on IBD include our newsletter and website as well as different publications. We also make active use of social media.

To look after the interests of people with IBD, we work together with doctors and other health professionals, hospitals, etc. We are also closely connected with the social insurance institution Kela, other IBD organisations and policy makers, and we do our best to influence where necessary. Crohn ja Colitis ry is a member of the European Federation of Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis Associations (EFCCA).

Membership for our association costs €27 (for 2018) and €17 for other family members in your household. You can find the membership application form on our website and attached to our printed brochure. Our office is located in Tampere.